SEASICK STEVE & THE LEVEL DEVILS
''CHEAP''
2004
59:09
1 Cheap 04:02
2 Rockin' Chair 03:32
3 Hobo Blues 02:56
4 Story #1 05:41
5 Sorry Mr. Jesus 04:12
6 Love Thang 03:40
7 Dr. Jeckyll And Mr. Hyde 05:11
8 Story #2 07:03
9 8 Ball 03:36
10 Xmas Prison Blues 04:11
11 Levi Song 04:14
12 Rooster Blues 10:44
Seasick Steve/Guitars, Foot Percussion
Jo Husmo/Bass Guitar
Kai Christoffersen/Drums
REVIEW/AMG
by Richie Unterberger
The mysterious Seasick Steve does indeed offer a brand of "cheap" juke joint blues on this album. Not that it's badly recorded at all; it's just rather skeletal and rough, Steve fronting a core trio of himself on electric guitar, "Mr. Joe H." on stand-up bass, and "Mr. Kai C." on drums. In the 1990s and early 21st century, this is the kind of raw juke joint stuff that underwent a revival, or at least was recorded far more often than it had been, both by oldsters and youngsters. Seasick Steve's somewhere in the middle of that age range, and while what he devises is acceptable and certainly gritty, it would have been more ear-catching had it come out ten years or so earlier, before other people did similar stuff (and sometimes did it better). The songs are basic, repetitive, and slightly grungy, Steve singing in a lived-in, scratchy, at times mumbly voice that might slightly remind you of Tom Waits and Dr. John at times, though it's not really that close to either of them. The program's interrupted by a couple of rambling spoken monologues about the hard-living hobo life, and the songs tend to ramble on without saying much as well. The result is a record that's at once idiosyncratically down-home and kind of forgettable, somewhat akin to listening to the semi-improvised busking of a Mississippi electric blues trio, playing for passerby waiting on the platform for the next train out of town
BIOGRAPHY/AMG
by Kenyon Hopkin
Like T-Model Ford, Seasick Steve (aka Steve Wold) began recording his own music much later in life than other musicians. A storytelling singer reviving traditional country blues, Wold spent his childhood in California, but left home at 14. As a hobo, he traveled for several years, jumping trains and working odd jobs. After drifting around the U.S. and Europe, he finally ended up in Norway. Aside from his respectable musical background (which includes recording early Modest Mouse, appearing on BBC television, and playing with John Lee Hooker), Wold is also noted for his unusual custom-made stringed instruments. By the time he was in his sixties, he'd finally released some official material. His first solo album, Doghouse Music, out in late 2006, was performed almost entirely by Wold. Another record, Cheap, was recorded with the Swedish rhythm section the Level Devils. An amorous seven-track Valentine’s Day EP called Songs for Elisabeth (six of the cuts were culled from previous releases) arrived in 2010. With a rustic and at time almost punk-blues approach to his material, Wold increasingly merged country blues trance boogie with a street holler voice that makes Tom Waits seem like a mainstream crooner, and the best of his songs carry a hard-earned wisdom that can only come from living on the street one block over from the edge of civility. He released the stark and powerful You Can’t Teach an Old Dog New Tricks in 2011, and returned in 2013 with his sixth offering, Hubcap Music, which featured guest appearances from Jack White and Led Zeppelin bassist John Paul Jones.
OFFICIAL WEBSITE
TO THE TOP
''CHEAP''
2004
59:09
1 Cheap 04:02
2 Rockin' Chair 03:32
3 Hobo Blues 02:56
4 Story #1 05:41
5 Sorry Mr. Jesus 04:12
6 Love Thang 03:40
7 Dr. Jeckyll And Mr. Hyde 05:11
8 Story #2 07:03
9 8 Ball 03:36
10 Xmas Prison Blues 04:11
11 Levi Song 04:14
12 Rooster Blues 10:44
Seasick Steve/Guitars, Foot Percussion
Jo Husmo/Bass Guitar
Kai Christoffersen/Drums
REVIEW/AMG
by Richie Unterberger
The mysterious Seasick Steve does indeed offer a brand of "cheap" juke joint blues on this album. Not that it's badly recorded at all; it's just rather skeletal and rough, Steve fronting a core trio of himself on electric guitar, "Mr. Joe H." on stand-up bass, and "Mr. Kai C." on drums. In the 1990s and early 21st century, this is the kind of raw juke joint stuff that underwent a revival, or at least was recorded far more often than it had been, both by oldsters and youngsters. Seasick Steve's somewhere in the middle of that age range, and while what he devises is acceptable and certainly gritty, it would have been more ear-catching had it come out ten years or so earlier, before other people did similar stuff (and sometimes did it better). The songs are basic, repetitive, and slightly grungy, Steve singing in a lived-in, scratchy, at times mumbly voice that might slightly remind you of Tom Waits and Dr. John at times, though it's not really that close to either of them. The program's interrupted by a couple of rambling spoken monologues about the hard-living hobo life, and the songs tend to ramble on without saying much as well. The result is a record that's at once idiosyncratically down-home and kind of forgettable, somewhat akin to listening to the semi-improvised busking of a Mississippi electric blues trio, playing for passerby waiting on the platform for the next train out of town
BIOGRAPHY/AMG
by Kenyon Hopkin
Like T-Model Ford, Seasick Steve (aka Steve Wold) began recording his own music much later in life than other musicians. A storytelling singer reviving traditional country blues, Wold spent his childhood in California, but left home at 14. As a hobo, he traveled for several years, jumping trains and working odd jobs. After drifting around the U.S. and Europe, he finally ended up in Norway. Aside from his respectable musical background (which includes recording early Modest Mouse, appearing on BBC television, and playing with John Lee Hooker), Wold is also noted for his unusual custom-made stringed instruments. By the time he was in his sixties, he'd finally released some official material. His first solo album, Doghouse Music, out in late 2006, was performed almost entirely by Wold. Another record, Cheap, was recorded with the Swedish rhythm section the Level Devils. An amorous seven-track Valentine’s Day EP called Songs for Elisabeth (six of the cuts were culled from previous releases) arrived in 2010. With a rustic and at time almost punk-blues approach to his material, Wold increasingly merged country blues trance boogie with a street holler voice that makes Tom Waits seem like a mainstream crooner, and the best of his songs carry a hard-earned wisdom that can only come from living on the street one block over from the edge of civility. He released the stark and powerful You Can’t Teach an Old Dog New Tricks in 2011, and returned in 2013 with his sixth offering, Hubcap Music, which featured guest appearances from Jack White and Led Zeppelin bassist John Paul Jones.
OFFICIAL WEBSITE
TO THE TOP
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